Wednesday, May 25, 2016

Ailanthus Leaves / 臭椿叶/가죽나물 (Ga Juk Namul )

Dear friends, have you ever tasted the leaves of Ailanthus？ In Korean, we call it " 가죽나물 (Ga Juk Namul )". All parts of the plant have a distinguishing strong odor that is often likened to peanuts, cashews, or rotting cashews. I don't really like this strong odor ^-^. I think I won't try it again ^-^I cooked two dishes by using the leaves as the ingredient, one is seasoned it with the vinegar red pepper sauce , the other is egg roll.亲爱的朋友们，您可曾尝过臭椿叶？ 在韩文，我们称它为" 가죽나물 (Ga Juk Namul )". . 植物所有部分都有一种与众不同的的强烈气味，这种气味常被比作腐烂的花生或腰果的气味。我个人还可真不能接受着强烈的气味 ^-^， 我想我不会再品尝它^-^我采用了臭椿叶做了两种料理， 其中一道是辣酱醋凉拌臭椿叶， 另一道则是臭椿叶蛋卷。

Ailanthus altissima/eɪˈlænθəsælˈtɪsᵻmə/,] commonly known as tree of heaven, ailanthus, or in Standard Chinese as chouchun (Chinese: ; pinyin: chòuchūn; literally: "foul smelling tree"), is a deciduous tree in the Simaroubaceae family. It is native to both northeast and central China, as well as Taiwan.In China, the tree of heaven has a long and rich history. It was mentioned in the oldest extant Chinese dictionary and listed in countless Chinese medical texts for its purported ability to cure ailments ranging from mental illness to baldness. The roots, leaves and bark are still used today in traditional Chinese medicine, primarily as an astringent. The tree has been grown extensively both in China and abroad as a host plant for the ailanthus silkmoth, a moth involved in silkproduction. In spring, the leaves are bronze then quickly turn from medium to dark green as they grow.臭椿（学名：Ailanthus altissima[1]）原名樗（拼音：chū，注音：ㄕㄨ），又名大眼桐、姑姑翅、臭桐，属于苦木科。臭椿是一种中型树木，高度在17至27米（56至90英尺）之间，胸高处直径能成长到1米左右（40英寸）。树皮光滑，呈浅灰色，但由于树的年龄，常常会出现淡褐色裂缝，使树皮变得有点粗糙。细枝坚实，光滑但稍有软毛，色彩为略带红色或栗色。 这些细枝拥有皮孔和心形的叶痕（即叶落后留在细枝上的痕迹），叶痕边界周围有许多维管束痕（即叶脉曾连接至树处的小分界线）。花蕾长着精细的茸毛，为圆顶状，部分藏在叶柄后，但休眠季节，它们在可在叶痕弯缺处完全可见。树枝为浅灰至深灰色。小叶的上端颜色为深绿，叶脉浅绿，而下端是带白色的绿色

（source : wikipedia )

In spring, the leaves are bronze then quickly turn from medium to dark green as they grow.(source : wikipedia )